Tobacco use continues to be a major public health problem in the United States with approximately one-third of users becoming dependent and tobacco smoking is the leading avoidable cause of death in the United States. The present proposal focuses on animal studies to investigate neurobiological mechanisms that mediate nicotine addiction. An animal model of increased intravenous self-administration of nicotine to the point of dependence has been developed and will be further refined, validated and compared to acute reinforcement models. Preliminary results show that a CRF-1 antagonist can block both the anxiety-like responses associated with acute nicotine withdrawal and the increase in nicotine responding produced by nicotine deprivation in an extended access model. The overall hypothesis of the present proposal is that enhanced nicotine seeking in extended access (nicotine-dependent) animals is in part produced by an overactivity of extrahypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) stress systems and related stress modulatory agents in specific regions of the basal forebrain (extended amygdala). To test this hypothesis, three specific aims are proposed: 1). To validate an extended dependence model of nicotine self-administration in rats. 2). To explore the neuropharmacological mechanisms within specific neurochemical systems in the anxiety-like state of nicotine withdrawal. 3). To explore the neuropharmacological mechanisms within specific sites within the extended amygdala on nicotine self-administration in dependent rats. Animal models of intravenous self- administration, anxiety-like responses, and brain stimulation reward combined with biochemical studies, and systemic and intracerebral microinjections of specific neuropharmacological agents will be employed.

Public Health Relevance

The proposed neurobiological studies will provide key information not only for the etiology of a major component of the motivation to continue to smoke once dependent, help identify those individual differences that may lead to vulnerability to dependence, and provide key targets for future medications development for the treatment of nicotine dependence.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA023597-05
Application #
8223247
Study Section
Neurobiology of Motivated Behavior Study Section (NMB)
Program Officer
Lynch, Minda
Project Start
2008-04-05
Project End
2014-01-31
Budget Start
2012-02-01
Budget End
2014-01-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$367,630
Indirect Cost
$173,630
Name
Scripps Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
781613492
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92037
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Cohen, Ami; Treweek, Jennifer; Edwards, Scott et al. (2015) Extended access to nicotine leads to a CRF1 receptor dependent increase in anxiety-like behavior and hyperalgesia in rats. Addict Biol 20:56-68
Grieder, Taryn E; Herman, Melissa A; Contet, Candice et al. (2014) VTA CRF neurons mediate the aversive effects of nicotine withdrawal and promote intake escalation. Nat Neurosci 17:1751-8
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Zorrilla, Eric P; Koob, George F (2013) Amygdalostriatal projections in the neurocircuitry for motivation: a neuroanatomical thread through the career of Ann Kelley. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 37:1932-45
Goeders, Nicholas E; Cohen, Ami; Fox, Barbara S et al. (2012) Effects of the combination of metyrapone and oxazepam on intravenous nicotine self-administration in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 223:17-25
Edwards, Scott; Koob, George F (2012) Experimental psychiatric illness and drug abuse models: from human to animal, an overview. Methods Mol Biol 829:31-48

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